Since 2005, New York City’s carbon-neutral crowd has been flocking to Habana Outpost, which bills itself as the city’s first solar-powered restaurant. Solar panels shade the patio and bike-powered smoothie maker, providing 40 percent of the restaurant’s energy and protecting guests from sunburn. Stored rainwater flushes the toilets, and the decor is a mix of the artistic, the improvised, and the salvaged—a picnic table is made of used soda bottles; some doors came from a Latin American monastery.

Come for the food, but stay for the arts. In addition to monthly installations, there are fashion shows, a weekend outdoor market where artisans sell their wares, and the adjoining Lowpost, a space for live performances, movie screenings, and community group meetings.

As you might expect from a restaurant featuring outdoor seating, Habana Outpost is only open when the sun shines, that is, the six-month stretch between Earth Day and Halloween.